


Lex Talionis

by StarlightCaptivator



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crack Played Straight, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Incest, M/M, Mech Preg, Some birth happens in this one, Work Mashup, referenced miscarriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-10-21 19:23:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17648459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightCaptivator/pseuds/StarlightCaptivator
Summary: In a sequestered part of a palace-made-base, when the murmurs of wartime are making themselves heard,  new life is trying it's best to come to fruition.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agatharights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agatharights/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Addicted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4825616) by [StarlightCaptivator](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightCaptivator/pseuds/StarlightCaptivator). 
  * Inspired by [The Game](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5030011) by [StarlightCaptivator](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightCaptivator/pseuds/StarlightCaptivator). 



> Welp, I can only blame Agatha for this, because nearly four years ago she planted this idea in my head and nearly four years ago I wrote most of this work, and never had plans to post it. 💖The originating works that inspired this are VERY nsfw, so keep that in mind if you go read them lmao. 
> 
> Take the title as tongue-in-cheek, and enjoy.😜

 To say that Sunstreaker was annoyed would be putting the entire situation lightly.

Sunstreaker was irate.

Sunstreaker was _perturbed_.

And if Sunstreaker wasn't so close to birthing his bitlet that he was no longer allowed out of bed, he would have stalked across the room to smack the smile off of his twin's face.

"Aww, lighten up, Sunshine."

Sunstreaker growled, revved his engine in an obvious- and pitifully non-threatening- threat display.

It was the most action it had seen in a long time.

Sideswipe let out a hearty laugh in turn, startling the positively tiny bitlet in his arms out of a doze. Cliffjumper turned fully through his limited range of movement to peep angrily and pound his tiny fists on his Carrier's chestplates for a moment before he settled back down.

Sideswipe smiled wider.

Sunstreaker scowled deeper.

The sparkling inside Sunstreaker's gestation tank gently rolled over before stretching out... and pressing against some tender internals. He frowned down at his abdomen, but couldn't really muster up the gumption to communicate to the little thing that he was trying to rest, dammit.

He'd slag their bitlets' sires before he got sparked up again, after this. Sideswipe snorted, catching his sentiment over their twin bond. "Heard _that_ one before." He murmured, and Sunstreaker huffed. His brother padded to his side and took up next to him a moment later despite the real possibility of a smacking.

He plopped Cliffjumper, all struts and protoform and barely any armor onto Sunstreaker's round abdomen. He watched with no little amusement as the little mech tried to hold himself up and wobbled before collapsing back down. Sideswipe snuggled into his twin's side, and Sunstreaker let him. "See? Cliff _is_ fine, yours will be too."

Sunstreaker gave him the fuzzy optic. "We're lucky that Cliff is fine. It was too early for him to emerge." The pair of them had been deemed high-risk when it was found out that they were sparked, not only because of the identity of the primary sire, but due to a tumultuous history of painful losses at the end of unhealthy carriages. Cliffjumper ended their streak by being born healthy, despite being early.

Sunstreaker had taken the order for light duty and then eventually bed rest quite seriously, but Sideswipe shirked the order for bed rest up until his emergence had started after sneaking out of the Primal palace.

Cliffjumper was born that day, and it was as if all of the combined anger potential of his carrier, sires and uncle had been packed into a tiny squalling frame.

Though for as hellacious a temperament he managed to have, Optimus and Jazz took to him like scraplets on a junk pile, and were delighted to have the addition to their odd family.

Sunstreaker was happy for his brother, of course! But anxiety clouded that happiness no matter how he fought it. The medics were telling him both his frame and those scans of the sparkling were fine, but he had done this song and dance before and that ended in the grey body of his sparkless offspring being taken off to cold storage in case a compatible spark came up for the tiny frame.

Sunstreaker would believe his sparkling would be fine only when he held him whole in his arms and felt the living field of a strong newspark in his.

The thought wasn't a second too late, as he had barely finished it when the distended plating of his abdomen visibly tensed, and Sunstreaker was thrown into a powerful, and painful- contraction.

He came out of it to Sideswipe's hands on his frame in soothing touches. When it was passed completely, he moved Cliffjumper to Sunstreaker's chestplate.

"That was a strong one. You sit tight, Sunshine, I'm going to go get Optimus and see if Ratchet's around." Sideswipe kept his sudden unease tamped down as much as possible- it'd do his twin no good to expend the energy or nerves and excitement at another possible false start.

The mech was already exhausted as it was. A quick kiss at the top of Sunstreaker's helm, a gentle pat of Cliffjumper's, and Sideswipe was off like a shot.

Ratchet was closer by, set up in a little office just outside the apartments for seeing patients that had the clearance to be up there.... which was few, so the medic's surliness had gotten markedly worse.

How much easier would it have been, if not for the comm blackout due to the minor conflicts edging closer.

Sideswipe pinged outside the door and threw his hands up just in case today was a menace-with-a-wrech first ask questions later sort of day as he burst in, and blurted out his reason for treading on hallowed ground before the Ratchet could inquire.

Ratchet regarded him with a sharp look before he turned to start collecting his tools. "And you're sure this time?"

"Yes." Sideswipe replied with hasty surety, antsy on his pedes. "Sunny's too exhausted to feel the difference but _I'm_ not, and I'm feeling everything he is."

The medic took in Sideswipe's affect, the way he fidgeted and the color draining from his optics. He moved quick, put a hand on his shoulder. " Breathe, Sides. He will be fine, you'll be fine. Your anxiety will just feed into his."

Sideswipe tensed before searching his face for a moment. Forcing himself to relax, he took a deep, cleansing vent.

"Yeah... yeah, alright. I'm okay now.  You go see to Sunny, I'll go get the boss?" His smile was wan, tone looking for reassurance. Ratchet turned him around and marched him back out the door.

" Sounds like a plan! And don't dawdle! The quicker you get back, the better for the both of you."  With a last reassuring slap to Sideswipe's pauldron, Ratchet folded down into his altmode and tore off for the Primal apartments.

Sideswipe beat pede downs halls and corridors, winding walls that felt ever longer and windier with each pained rotation of his spark. 

It was probably only by the grace of Primus that found him outside the meeting room on the next level down. Realizing where he was brought him back to his present from the labyrinth his mind had concocted of this place he called home and he was better for it, that even half-dazed he managed to put palm to ident-pad to open the door. 

Somehow, he was not expecting the sea of optics to turn his way when the door opened. 

Ironhide was first to his pedes, first to open his mouth. "Sideswipe!" His name spoken in that biting tone with that drawl never failed make Sides flinch, this time was no different. "What'n th' _pit_ are you doing here? You know th-" Optimus Prime's hand on his shoulder muted Ironhide immediately,  the rest of the cabinet watched with no small amount of trepidation as their Prime strode to the door and ushered Sideswipe out into the hallway. 

His gaze was concerned and kind and Sideswipe loved him immensely in that moment for the calm that grounded him. "Is it time?" He asked softly, and it was only with his hand in Optimus' did he realize he was shaking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to tell you, this is very on-brand for me. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

 Sideswipe dissociated his way back to their quarters, held aloft as if a string on a balloon only from the pain phantom from his spark and the anxiety and weary fear only by the strong grip of Optimus' hand as he led. 

 "Did Sunny feel like this too, when I-?" 

Optimus slowed only a little, and looked back at him with a look that said in no uncertain terms that he had. 

"Do you want to talk about it right now?" He deflected gently, a mercy for Sideswipe's tendency to hoard guilt deep down for the stupid slag he was prone to doing. 

"Yes." He answered defiantly- petulantly even-  feeling more himself in that moment of conversation. 

"He was angrier." Optimus answered and there was a touch of amusement to his voice that staved off some of that guilt. "Ironhide and Broadside had to hold him in place to prevent him from trying to find you." 

In the back of his mind, the reason for Ironhide's continued jumpy demeanor towards him and his twin made a lot of sense. 

Sideswipe processed the thought by microseconds, when the next wave of pain washed through him. Followed on it's coattails found a small amount of mental relief, and resignation. 

"Ratchet's there." He declared, with little energy behind his declaration. No matter the outcome, he knew that if Ratchet was there then Sunny would be okay. 

And- Cliffjumper would be too. Guilt washed back over him again- as he could feel his bitlet's distress, could feel how his own distress and Sunstreaker's bevy of negative emotions battered at the small newspark- and distantly, Sunstreaker's too. 

It pushed him to pick up his pace,and by the time the pair of them got through the outer door, Sideswipe was in the lead at a clip. 

They were stopped in their tracks in that outer room by a sight most unexpected and welcome; as Jazz stood outside the door to the berthroom, a squalling Cliffjumper held carefully in his arms. 

A quick embrace had Cliffjumper back in his arms, and Sideswipe back through the doors, barely aware of Optimus behind him, scooping Jazz into his arms and warmly asking him when he got back. Cliffjumper quieted to soft hiccuping sobs immediately, plastering himself to Sideswipe's front as if he was a space barnacle. 

Inside, he was met with the sight of Sunstreaker's back. Ratchet had managed to get him up onto his knees in a demi-squat, despite his weakened state, and he held the headboard of the plush berthframe as if his life depended on it. 

Ratchet's gaze snapped up as he came in- only to snap back to his patient- correction, patients, as Sunstreaker labored.

Sideswipe shuffled himself around to Sunstreaker's other side, bringing a supportive hand to his backstrut. Sunstreaker didn't bother to acknowledge him externally, but a vice-like feeling came from Sideswipe's spark, and he knew Sunstreaker could do no less than hold onto him and their bond for dear life. 

Sideswipe pushed on him in that internal space, borderline goading him into using that power they were both known for in such a matter delicate as this. Some part of him knew Jazz and Optimus had approached- though with some measure of caution in their steps. 

They knew the score, too, beyond just having been a part of it themselves. 

They stayed close through the entire harrowing time, a constant presence and both a balm and a pain to have so close. 

Sideswipe could feel how badly Sunstreaker didn't want to fail...

_It wouldn't be failure_. Sideswipe reminded him, rising from his supportive fugue. _You've done your best. I can feel him, **we** can feel him, alive in our spark! **Now push!**_

Sunstreaker bore down through a harsh stall of his vents and Sideswipe held firm against him, pushing his strength into Sunstreaker as strongly as he through that immense pressure-

And then it relieved all at once and Sideswipe gasped through the sudden snap-feedback of relief. Sunstreaker started to sag as Ratchet stepped away and quick thinking had Sideswipe carefully wrapping his free arm about his twin, to help turn and lower him to the berthing. 

Sunstreaker's expression was some amalgam of frantic hope and bleak resignation, up until Ratchet plopped the frame of the newspark onto the plane of Sunstreaker's hood, and the thing gurgled softly in tired discontent of his lightning-fast checkup and temporary separation from his carrier.  

Sunstreaker's entire countenance changed all at once, a waving rise of hesitant jubilation flowed from his spark into his entire countenance. He brought a hesitant hand to the sparklet's back, and startled when the little thing made a noise and his optics blinked on in a dim blue. 

Sideswipe gasped once more, now in delight and all at once Optimus and Jazz were upon them, crowding in close to see the newborn as he made small, tired movements upon his carrier's chestplating. 

Jazz bounced in place in his excitement, to a rhythm only he knew and Optimus, in contrast, leaned over and looked much like a statue, save for his optics which took to roving over the little sparklet with zeal. 

As if sensing the next question, Sunstreaker raised his helm just so, from where it lay having fallen to the berth. His partners turned just so to look at him, having trouble tearing their optics away from the sparklet gentled to life on his chest. 

"Bumblebee." He said, voice husky through his struggle and now, his monumental struggle to remain awake long enough to relay his wishes. "His name. Bumblebee." 

Sideswipe, with a smile so wide his cheeks hurt, couldn't resist running the pad of his thumb over the sparklet's- over _Bumblebee's_  tiny horn nubbins. 

"Yeah Sunny, Okay." He said, ignoring how choked his voice was trying to become. It was as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders and he'd been centered back into himself and his spark. He leaned over against that steady, silent support that was Optimus as his own little Cliffjumper was brought close from somewhere to lay next to his sibling, and Bumblebee gave a mighty squirm before hunkering closer to the older sparklet. Sunstreaker's handsome face lit in his fatigue with the ghost of a a rare, but genuine smile, even as his optics began to dim and shutter. 

Sideswipe's spark pulsed with affection for him, their little ones, their _family._ "Whatever you want." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here we are, and it only took me being in Canada again to finish a fic 😂Special thanks to Drazyrohk for hosting me the weekend, you're wonderful! ♥
> 
> And thank you, my lovely readers, for all your kudos!


End file.
